text: Her mother was of Polish descent and her father was Ukrainian. He encouraged her in the sciences when he noticed her abilities in mathematics. Although she preferred philosophy, history or political science, she ultimately followed her father's advice because she had a cousin who had already graduated as a chemist.
  While studying at the university, she met Víctor Rietti but was reluctant to establish a personal relationship with him because he was too young and they only saw each other at the university. At his insistence, they got married in 1952, had three children and sixty years later they were still together.